Today we are going to discuss common pallet rack safety hazards. While working in the warehouse, pallet racks facilitate the organization and ease of storage. But your racks do not come without their unique issues that you need to prepare for. While they are necessary to conduct efficient operations within your warehouse, you need to address the common pallet rack safety hazards. Ensure that all employees know these risks while they are working on the floor and that you have solutions to eliminate or mitigate these problems.
Collision Hazards
One of the most common hazards to pallet racks is collisions involving forklifts. They will damage the support structure of the entire system, putting it at risk of collapsing and posing an immediate danger to all workers in the area. While sometimes these collisions do not result in instant collapse, it does significantly weaken the structure, making it unsuitable for store inventory and requiring rapid maintenance.
Training, Visibility, and Clearance
The three most important aspects of safe forklift driving in a warehouse include the proper training of workers. Ensure that all forklift operators go through the appropriate training to qualify them for safe and reliable driving.
Increase the area’s visibility, whether that means installing more lights or mirrors to see around corners.
Finally, make sure that there is enough clearance for forklifts to maneuver around corners safely. Aisles that are too tight have an increased likelihood of sustaining damage.
Proper Construction
It’s important to have professionals carefully install a rack system. Failing to guarantee the proper assembly of a rack can mean that it is structurally unsound and may collapse without warning or seemingly without provocation. Racks that are erected in your warehouse must follow certain safety standards for them to be safely used.
Follow Rack Specifications
Even when you install a rack properly, you need to make certain that employees on the floor know the limits of the racks themselves. An adequately built and anchored rack still has a weight limit and exceeding that limit will cause it to fall apart. Clearly post how much a rack can safely hold and perform routine checks to see that workers follow those regulations.
Overhanging Inventory
Whether it is due to your racks being too small to store your inventory or workers not correctly placing items on racks, overhanging product poses a great safety threat to employees. This overhand, if it is too excessive, can fall off shelving, which can cause serious injury or prove fatal to workers underneath.
Storing Practices
Provide pallets that do not have a depth greater than your racks and ensure that all workers practice safe storage techniques when placing inventory on shelves. This is a great way to prevent damaged stock as well.
Preempt Danger With Safe Procedures
You must implement proper safety protocols and practices before disasters occur. Failing to be proactive in warehouse safety can cause you to damage racks, ruin inventory, and put the safety and lives of workers at risk.
